»09/11/2012INDONESIAChristian leader cries shame as Minister, Mayor and Islamists close the Yasmin Churchby Mathias HariyadiMeeting decides to expel the Protestant community, despite regular permits and Constitutional Court judgment. YC leaders excluded from meeting and accuse Minister for Interior. A complaint to the police, supported by the Indonesian Churches and human rights activists.

Jakarta
(AsiaNews) - "It's shameful" denounces Bona Sigalingging, spokesperson for
the GKI Yasmin Church, reacting to the closed-door meeting between the Minister
of Internal Affairs of Indonesia, the leaders of the city of Bogor, West Java,
and the leader of an Islamic extremist movement. The
gathering has resulted in the expulsion of the Protestant community from their
place of worship, despite the possession of regular building permits and a
judgment of the Constitutional Court. In
response, the leaders of the Christian movement have filed a formal complaint
to the courts against the local administration and the mayor Diani Budiarto.

The
meeting was held on September 8 and was atteneded by Gamawan Fauzi, Indonesian
Minister of the Interior, Iman Ahmad, head of the Islamic extremist group
Forkami, and the mayor of Bogor Diani Budiarto. The
minister's decision has caused confusion within the Christian community, in
addition to being excluded from the bargaining table, the faithful have had to
passively endure the will of both parties - the local administration and the extremist
movement Forkami - who more
than any other have "persecuted" the religious minority in recent
months.

Interviewed
by AsiaNews Bona Sigalingging, YC spokesperson,
branded the decision to invite the leader of Forkami as "shameful". This
is a wellknown "radical Islamic group," he adds, that "has
fueled tension" and again "has succeeded in having us forcibly removed
from our church." The
YC leader notes that the decision to close the place of worship is contrary to
the judgments of the Constitutional Court and the Ombudsman and that they have
filed a complaint with the police. This
latest appeal to the courts of justice is supported by the Synod of Indonesian
Churches (PGI) and the Working Group on Human Rights, which speaks of
"double face" of the government in terms of religious freedom.

The
process for building a church in Indonesia - Catholic or Protestant - is quite
complicated and may take five to ten years to obtain all permits required by
law. The procedure is governed by the Izin Mendirikan Bangunan (IMB),
a species of written protocol that allows for construction to commence and is
issued by local authorities. The story gets more complicated if it
is a place of Christian worship: permission must be obtained from a number of
residents in the area where the building is to be constructed and the local
Group for Interfaith Dialogue. And even if the permission is granted
"unspecified reasons" can come into play that will lead officials to
block the projects. Often, this occurs after pressure from the Muslim community
or radical Islamic movements.

In late May, the
faithful of the Yasmin Church celebrated Pentecost in Jakarta in front of the
presidential palace. The
Christians gathered near the residence of the head of state of Indonesia Susilo
Bambang Yudhoyono because deprived of their places of worship. For
three years, they have not been able to go to church, sealed at the behest of
local authorities and the Mayor Diani Budiarto, who denounce alleged
irregularities in the release of IBM.

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A framework agreement on the Iranian nuclear issue has to be inked by 31 March. US Republicans, Israel and Saudi Arabia are fiercely opposed to it for ulterior motives. Hassan Rouhani wants Iran to come back into the international fold. Tehran is playing a mediating role in the Middle East. For Vatican nuncio, “there is no evidence that Iran is preparing a nuclear bomb.”

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